The acclaimed Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich , was born in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) in 1906. He was born into a musical family and was taught to play the piano by his mother – herself a well reputed piano teacher – from a very early age. He was sent to music school at the age of thirteen to continue his tuition. It wasn’t long before he started composing his own music. He was regularly performing his work in public by the time he was fourteen years old. The news of his talent spread quickly and his reputation began to precede him.
During his career, under the rule of Lenin, Dmitri Shostakovich enjoyed immediate and over-whelming success. Following his graduation from the music academy, his first symphony in 1925, was well-received. It is during this period that his work began to be recognized internationally. Much of his ensuing work excelled, not only in his native land but also achieving international success, playing in music theaters in Britain and the United States, as well as various locations throughout Europe.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Stravinsky composed in a wide range of styles. Especially the earlier works are recognized as neoclassical music compositions. He was influenced by especially other leading neoclassical music composers Stravinsky and Prokofiev . His first symphony, as well as ninth are categorized as neoclassical music. Although he turned to experimental modernism for a while, he started to compose neoclassical music after the government’s pressure in 1936.
A string of successful but politically charged and emotive works emerged throughout the 1920s and 1930s, culminating with the provocative, sexually explicit opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtesensk. Influences of neoclassical music master, the Russian composer Stravinsky is apparent at Lady Macbeth of Mtesensk. Some viewed this work as art while others in society looked down upon it. However, during the 1930’s, with the Stalin administration in power in the Soviet Union, Dmitri Shostakovich, suffered a blow to his popularity. In 1936, Lady Macbeth, the ballet that had brought him much praise from Lenin a few years before, met with distaste and horror when viewed by Stalin. The resulting newspaper reviews were so negative that public opinion for Shostakovich’s work plummeted.
His another famous work, a three act opera, The Nose premiered in 1930. The Nose is a satirical opera based on Gogol’s story. The dramatic and absurd opera The Nose of Dmitri Shostakovich is one of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century.
The Nose
A subdued Dmitri Shostakovich, steered clear of the dramatic features he had previously been known for and instead focused his efforts on concertos and symphonies in styles more appropriate to the political sentiments of the day. Around this time he had completed his fourth symphony, but following the poor reviews of Lady Macbeth of Mtesensk, he decided to withhold it from public scrutiny for the present time. It would not make its debut until 1961, some 25 years after it was first composed. Furthermore, the work he did release was noticeably less controversial and critical, until Stalin’s death in 1953, when he experienced a new found artistic freedom, which again allowed him to articulate previously repressed opinions through the medium of theater and film.
Arguably his best piece, Lady Macbeth of Mtesensk was later revised, renamed and restaged post Stalin in 1963. Once again it was held in high esteem both by the public and the Government. Dmitri Shostakovich was not to complete another opera after this one. Nevertheless, he remained actively involved in musical production right up to his death in August 1975.
Although he is generally regarded as a neoclassical music composer, Dmitri Shostakovich had a distinctive style. Talented, patriotic, and great believer in freedom of speech, Dmitri Shostakovich has given the world of classical music some unique and exquisite works of art that are remembered still today.
Lady Macbeth